Marvel and DC's Distributor to Stop Shipping New Comic Books

COVID-19 brings the comic book industry to a standstill.

Update 3/31: Both Marvel and DC have clarified their short-terms publishing plans a bit more. Long story short, don't expect to read new comics in either print or digital form on April 1, with both publishers continuing to iron out a new publishing strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite earlier reports that DC would continue releasing new books in digital form, the publisher has now clarified its stance, saying a limited selection of new books will be released each week. Most of DC's 4/1 releases have now been postponed, with only collected editions like Batman: Creature of the Night and Event Leviathan and digital-first titles like Batman: The Adventures Continue - Chapter 1 still scheduled for release this week. Going forward, DC may release certain new comics in digital form, but they'll be making those decisions on a case-by-case basis.Marvel has also released a brief statement on the Diamond Comics shutdown, confirming they won't be releasing their 4/1 comics in either print or digital form this week. As reported by Newsarama, Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley told retailers, "As you know, unfortunately there will not be any new print titles available at your shops this week. Marvel will also not be releasing any new comic book titles digitally on April 1. This is a fluid situation with details changing every day, so we appreciate your patience and understanding as we all navigate our way through this. As soon as more information is available, we will outline our longer-term plans and opportunities to support you and the industry."

Update 3/29: DC has released a brief statement on the Diamond Comics shutdown. While specific details are still to be revealed, DC indicates it's exploring "a multi-distributor model," relying on independent printers and distributors in order to continue shipping new comics to stores. The exact details of that process and how new books will be delivered to stores will be revealed "in the coming days."

Additionally, in order to lessen the financial burden on comic book shops, DC will be making all comics with in-store dates between March 18 and June 24 fully returnable. You can read DC's full statement below:

To Direct Market Retailers:

First, the entire team here at DC hopes that you, your family and your employees are staying safe and healthy during this very tough and precarious time. We know that you have been waiting for DC to comment on the state-of-affairs and to address any measures we will take to help our community lighten the burden of the disruption to our business, and we’ve been working hard on a long-term, solution-focused plan. Here is how we will help:

Periodicals and books with in-store dates between March 18, 2020 and June 24, 2020 will be fully returnable. We’ll even provide credit for your separate return shipping of these items only.

Additionally, because we anticipate that continued disruption to business operations will create regional volatility, DC is exploring a multi-distributor model to provide us with the flexibility needed during this crisis to get new content to our readers on an ongoing basis. In the short-term, we continue to engage in active conversations with Diamond to help us solve the distribution issues that have arisen and hope to get new product to stores that want or need it as soon as possible. We will provide additional information about how we’ll make that happen in the coming days.

Thanks for your patience with us. DC will continue to monitor the situation, continue to speak with you directly, and continue to support you through the days ahead. You are the lifeblood of this industry.

All best,

The DC Team

Exactly how quickly DC can get this multi-distributor model up and running remains to be seen. DC also has yet to comment on how their digital release plans will be affected, if at all. As of publish, Comixology still has major upcoming Marvel and DC titles listed as going on sale April 1, including Batman #92, Black Widow #1 and Empyre #0.

Update: Newsarama reports DC has reached out to retailers to inform them digital comic releases will continue on schedule. Though in response to concerns about how this might affect print sales, DC "will revisit this if the pipeline for physical distribution continues to be challenged and disrupted," according to Director of Marketing Services Adam Phillips.

We'll keep you updated as both DC and Marvel reveal more about their publishing plans during the pandemic.

The original story is below:

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all areas of the entertainment industry, and comics is no exception. Diamond Comic Distributors, which is the main distributor for most major US publishers (including both Marvel and DC), has announced plans to stop shipping new comic book deliveries to stores as of the week of April 1.

Effectively, this means comic shops will stop receiving new books for the foreseeable future. Diamond's sister company Alliance Game Distributors is adopting a similar policy, with both its distribution centers shutting down indefinitely on Tuesday, March 24.

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"Our publishing partners are also faced with numerous issues in their supply chain, working with creators, printers, and increasing uncertainty when it comes to the production and delivery of products for us to distribute," said Diamond's Chairman and CEO Steve Geppi in a statement. "Our freight networks are feeling the strain and are already experiencing delays, while our distribution centers in New York, California, and Pennsylvania were all closed late last week. Our own home office in Maryland instituted a work from home policy, and experts say that we can expect further closures. Therefore, my only logical conclusion is to cease the distribution of new weekly product until there is greater clarity on the progress made toward stemming the spread of this disease."

This is dire news for an industry already hit hard by COVID-19. Many shops have shifted to curbside and home delivery options in order to safely fulfill orders, while publishers like BOOM! Studios and IDW Publishing have begun offering full returnability on new releases and other incentives designed to lessen the financial strain on comic shops in an uncertain market. But with this shipping moratorium, shops remaining open during the pandemic will have to rely on existing stock and non-Diamond-distributed products for sources of revenue. As Geppi notes in his statement, Diamond is only cutting off shipments of books with an on-sale date of April 1 or later, meaning shops will theoretically have the ability to restock older releases and evergreen graphic novels, at least as long as Diamond still has available stock and the means to ship it.

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Perhaps the biggest question now is whether publishers will continue to make new books available digitally through services like Comixology, or if new comic book releases will simply stop entirely come April 1. Diamond doesn't handle digital distribution, so this is likely a decision that will have to be made individually by each publisher. Marvel and DC both have a number of high-profile comic book crossovers planned for spring and summer 2020, including Marvel's Avengers/Fantastic Four crossover Empyre and DC's Dark Nights: Metal sequel Death Metal. It remains to be seen whether these and other major books will be delayed or published solely in digital form for the time being.

IGN has reached out to both Marvel and DC for comment but did not hear back by time of publish. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.